Lioness: Golda Meir and the Nation of Israel

by Francine Klagsbrun

Hardcover, 2017

Status

Off Shelf

Call number

920 MEI

Genres

Collections

ADULT COLLECTION, SPECIAL: NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD, 9XX History, 92X Biography

Publication

Schocken (2017), 848 pages

Description

"The definitive biography of Golda Meir: the iron-willed leader, chain-smoking political operative, and tea-and-cake-serving grandmother who became the fourth prime minister of Israel and one of the most notable women of our time"--

User reviews

LibraryThing member lauralkeet

Golda Meir served as Prime Minister of Israel from 1969-1974, and is the only woman to have held that position. Born in Kiev and raised in the United States, Meir was a visible and popular figure both with the American Jewish community and the United States government. This book is a comprehensive

biography of a dynamic leader who was influential in the formation of Israel, and whose legacy is still felt today.

Since I was a child when Meir held office, I knew nothing of her life history and how she rose to the highest levels of Israel’s government. My knowledge of Israel’s history was also pretty sketchy. Lioness addressed both of these gaps, helping me better appreciate the formation of the State of Israel, Israel-Arab relations from that point forward, and the key political figures involved. And of course I know a great deal more about Golda Meir, who showed herself as a leader early in life and went to Israel not to escape hardship or persecution, but because she identified so strongly with being part of the newly-forming state.

But oh my, it’s a tome. I don’t usually shy away from long books, but I have my limits. The hardcover edition comes in at 848 pages, although well over 100 pages are devoted to notes and indices. I read the Kindle edition simply so I wouldn’t have to tote the book around. Even though Meir’s life is a fascinating story, the text can be dry at times. This book is best suited to someone who already has a strong interest in the subject, and will find it easier to persevere to the end.

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LibraryThing member krazy4katz

Of course many books have been written about Golda Meir including one she wrote herself. However this book was written in 2017 after a lot of information had been declassified. Although I know a fair amount about the establishment of the State of Israel and its history, this book is amazing in the

details behind significant events that were not known at the time. I suppose I should not be surprised at the amount of ambiguity, disinformation and outright lying that went on between the involved nations. It seems that every country lied when it came to political maneuvering: Israel, the U.S, the Soviet Union, Egypt, Syria, etc. Just one example is the Six Day War in 1967 when Israel was attacked by Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and Jordan simultaneously. Apparently, the war started because the Soviet Union told Syria that Israel was massing troops and weapons at the Syrian border — which was a complete lie. Syria told Egypt, so Egypt and the rest of the surrounding countries attacked Israel! Secret visits between government officials from these countries went on all the time. I guess I may be naive about how international diplomacy works. Golda also had a very good relationship with Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger even though they did not always tell her everything. In short, this is a very well written book, but it is also extremely long!! I borrowed it from the digital library 3 times in order to get through it. Highly recommended if you are interested in the history of Israel, how Golda Meir became such a powerful prime minister and the "behind the scenes" activities and personalities that influenced the development of the country.

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LibraryThing member GShuk

Great topic but way too long, with so much detail it was hard to keep track of who was who.

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